Bayer Leverkusen bounced back from their midweek Champions League disappointment by keeping up the pressure on fifth-placed Werder Bremen with a convincing 4-1 Bundesliga victory over Augsburg.
Stefan Kiessling was on target twice as Robin Dutt's side took all three points four days after losing at home to Barcelona.
Gonzalo Castro and Andre Schurrle were also on the scoresheet, with Koo Ja Cheol's 50th-minute having given Augsburg hope for only 10 minutes.
They could now drop to the bottom of the table if Freiburg pick up a point or more against Bayern Munich in the late kick-off.
Leverkusen took the lead in the 25th minute with Kiessling using his height to head in a corner from Castro.
The home side were unable to add to their lead despite good possession and they were punished five minutes into the break when Koo, who had seen an effort cleared off the line by Castro on the stroke of half time, left Bernd Leno no chance with a shot from the edge of the area.
Leverkusen looked unsettled, but a close-range goal from Castro on the hour mark gave them some reassurance.
And they only needed a further four minutes to see off Augsburg's challenge with Kiessling, set up by Schurrle, scoring his second of the game.
Kiessling returned the favour to his team-mate in the 70th minute to set up the fourth and keep Leverkusen on course for a place in Europe next season.
Augsburg got men behind the ball to prevent any further damage, but Leverkusen seemed happy enough with their day's work, with Dutt even able to give three members of his youth team some action late on.
